This invention relates to a rear axle mount for a straddle-mounted vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to a reversible axle mount for a snowmobile that is capable of adjusting an effective length of the snowmobile track.
Snowmobiles are a widely used means of transportation in snowy regions. They are especially popular for recreational purposes such as trail riding or racing. Snow conditions and the riding terrain can significantly affect a snowmobile""s performance. For example, when deep, less packed snow conditions exist, a longer track (i.e., the distance over which the track contacts the surface on which the snowmobile is driven) is desired for optimum performance. When icy or hard-packed snow conditions exist, a shorter track is desired for optimum performance.
In a typical snowmobile track design, the track is either permanently fixed at a given length without the ability to be changed to a different length, or the track must be exchanged for a different track in order to have a longer or shorter effective track length. It would be desirable to provide a way to make adjustments in the effective length of a snowmobile track in a simple and inexpensive manner.
It is the purpose of the present invention to provide an adjustable axle mount for mounting an axle to a snowmobile track suspension frame. The axle mount includes a base portion that has an axis and a bore that extends through the base portion coincident with the axis and engages the axle. The axle mount also includes an adjuster portion that engages an open portion of the frame and is secured to the base portion asymmetrically with respect to the axis. When the axle mount is adjusted, the asymmetry of the axle mount functions to alter the axle""s position with respect to the frame.
The present invention is particularly relevant to changing the effective length of a snowmobile track. When the axle mount is adjusted from a first position to a second position, the effective length of a snowmobile""s endless track is also changed.
The above summary of the present invention is not intended to describe each embodiment or every implementation of the present invention. The Figures and the detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify a preferred embodiment.